THE AMERICAS

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THE AMERICAS

• Chapter 16

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The First American Civilizations

• South America
• The Maya
• Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico
• Disappeared from their lands in the 900s CE
• The Aztecs
• Controlled Central Mexico
• Empire included over 5 million people
• The Inca
• Located in the mountains of Peru
• Largest empire of the ancient Americas

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The Maya and Aztec
Aztecs
Mayas
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The Inca Empire
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The First American Civilizationscontinued

• South America
• The Toltecs
• Took Mayan lands until 1200CE
• The Olmecs
• 1200-400BCE
• Developed in present day Mexico

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North America

• Southwestern US
• Anasazi New Mexico, lived in pueblos
• East of the Mississippi
• Hopewell or mound builders
• Alaska and Canada
• Inuit, traveled by dog sled and lived in Igloos
• Northeast
• The Iroquois
• set up a confederation - a government that links
  several groups

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Anasazi
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The Iroquois
The Mound-builders
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THE INUIT
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THE MAYANS

• Present day Guatemala
• City- states worshipped gods, especially the
  sun god
• Learned astronomy and developed the calendar
• System of mathematics and hieroglyphic writing
• Paddled in canoes as far as present day US
• By CE900s the Maya has mysteriously disappeared
• Mayan cities had many ball courts for sport

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Mayan ruins at Tikal
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Mayan Step Pyramid
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Mayan Ball Court
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THE AZTEC

• In present day Mexico 1250-1519ce
• Large population of people
• Greatest city of the empire was Tenochtitlan
• Polytheistic Religion
• Major God was the sun god - Quetzalcoatl
• Believed in the use of human sacrifice
• Death was considered honorable
• Roles of men and women
• Boys were trained as soldiers
• Girls learned to work in the household

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THE INCA

• In present day Peru
• Had a vast system of roads that stretched over
  2,500 miles
• Culture
• Quechua Incan language
• Quipu rope used to keep records
• Polytheistic Religion
• Human sacrifice in honor of gods
• Government and Society
• Pachacuti Earthshaker greatest Inca leader
• Society was divided in 12 job categories

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Machu Picchu
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The Spanish Arrive

• In 1492
• 250,000 people lived in Aztec empire
• Columbus arrives
• Soon after
• Arrival of the Conquistadors

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What Did the Spanish Want?

• THE 3 GS
• Gold
• God
• Glory

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Cortes Defeats the Aztec

• Hernan Cortes
• April 1519
• 550 soldiers, 16 horses, 14 cannons
• Germ warfare?
• Thought Cortes might be returning Aztec God
• Spanish conquered the Aztec in June 1521

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Pizarro Conquers the Inca

• 1530s, Incas thought to have ruled the known
  world
• Francisco Pizarro had great knowledge of Native
  Americans
• Atahualpa Inca Emperor
• Spanish attack at an arranged meeting (1532)
• Atahualpa is captured offered riches for his
  release
• Pizarro takes riches has emperor executed

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END